


In The Shadows of The Night

by MissCrazyWriter321



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: (Freddy), A pinch of Monroe/Rosalee because they're lovely, Angst, Canon Compliant, Crying, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Season Four Missing Scene, Sleepovers, referenced canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25213684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCrazyWriter321/pseuds/MissCrazyWriter321
Summary: A board creeks beneath her foot, and he startles, but calms quickly when he sees her.“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”Obviously she didn’t, but she needs to be careful how she handles this. If she pushes too hard, he’ll just end up shutting down.
Relationships: Nick Burkhardt & Rosalee Calvert, Rosalee Calvert/Monroe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	In The Shadows of The Night

**Author's Note:**

> I have so much love for this friendship. This show handles friendship in general really well, but this one in particular stands out to me. I had to write something for them. Based off the Tumblr prompt: "Talking at 2AM when they can't sleep."

She waits until Monroe is sound asleep, breathing even and expression peaceful. Then, she rises. Careful not to disturb her husband-he gets so little rest these days-she slides on her house shoes, and makes her way down the stairs. 

Unsurprisingly, Nick is still awake. He’s upright on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. Perhaps a little more surprisingly, he doesn’t seem to notice her approaching. 

Then again, maybe it isn’t surprising. She’s not sure when he last got a good night’s sleep, but certainly not recently. Everything he’s been through, lately? It’s a miracle that he’s still able to make it through the days. 

That’s part of why she insisted he stay here tonight. He’s spent so much time looking for Juliette lately, and to no avail. He needs to get some rest, and he’s not going to get it out on the streets, looking for his Hexenbiest girlfriend. (And wow, that’s still taking some getting used to.) 

A board creeks beneath her foot, and he startles, but calms quickly when he sees her.

“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I hope I didn’t wake you.” 

Obviously she didn’t, but she needs to be careful how she handles this. If she pushes too hard, he’ll just end up shutting down.

He shakes his head, looking away. “Wasn’t sleeping,” he mutters, and she draws in a breath. 

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep, either,” she admits. He glances at her, brows furrowed, and her heart breaks a little more. His world is on fire, but he’s still worried about her? “Sleep’s just been… Really hard to come by since Monroe was kidnapped. Nightmares, you know?” 

If possible, his features darken even more, but he nods. He blames himself for that, of course. Just like he blames himself for every terrible thing that happens in the world. Oh, if she could only take that from him…

“Mind if I sit up with you for awhile? I’ll make us some tea.”

He might be about to ask for something stronger, but he only nods, giving her a painful attempt at a smile. “Thank you, Rosalee.” 

“Anytime.”

In just a few minutes, the tea is ready, and she hands him a cup, settling beside him on the couch. Chamomile tea, because they could both use something soothing right now. (Definitely nothing with caffeine.) 

She wants to ask if he wants to talk about it, but holds her tongue, taking a sip of her drink instead. If he wants to talk, he’ll talk. She has to take this slow and easy. (Absently, she wonders if that is how Juliette handles problem animals at work. But thinking of Juliette is just too painful, so she forces herself to focus on the warmth pressing against her palms, on the man beside her, on anything but her missing friend.) 

“She wanted me to kiss her,” he announces suddenly. She turns to him, but he’s staring straight ahead, refusing to meet her eyes. “She woged, and then she told me to kiss her. Well, demanded, really.”

It takes everything in her to contain her reaction to _that_. Her stomach turns at the mental image of the Hexenbiest woge, and the thought of poor Nick coming face to face with something like that… And expecting anyone who _can’t_ woge to be willing to kiss your woged form is just _not done_ anyway. Not that Juliette would know that, since she didn’t grow up as a Wesen, but Rosalee can’t shake her grandmother’s stern voice from her mind, scolding anyone who would dare do such a disgraceful thing. 

“Nick-” she starts, but he swallows, continuing firmly on.

“I couldn’t do it. Pulled away, in fact.”

Good for him. She loves Juliette like a sister, truly, but she just might scream at her anyway. “Nick, there’s nothing wrong with that,” she murmurs, and he flinches.

“How can you say that?” A little too loud, too sharp, for comfort. It seems to scare him more than it scares her, though, and his face falls. “I’m sorry. I just-how can you-?” His eyes glisten in the low light. “What kind of man can’t kiss the woman he loves?” 

Fury washes over her on his behalf, and this time, she can’t quite contain it. “The kind that needs time to adjust. She should have given it to you.”

He shakes his head, and she half-expects him to defend Juliette, but he says only this: “I’m not sure time would have mattered. I mean, she just looks so… Horrible, you know? That’s awful to say. Awful. I’m an awful person. It’s just-”

“You’re not an awful person.” She can’t hold back any longer. Reaches out, squeezing his arm gently. “You’re hurting, and you’re tired, and you’re in pain, but you’re _not_ an awful person.” 

He ducks his head, and she knows instinctively that he’s trying to hide his tears. He swallows once, then twice, roughly, before muttering, “I wish she’d turned into something else. Anything else. Fuchsbau, maybe. Yeah… I think I could kiss a Fuchsbau.” Before she even has time to process that, he pales, and turns to her, shaking his head frantically. “I don’t-I don’t mean-”

Oh, gosh. How sleep-deprived _is_ he? “Nick,” she says, gentle but firm, “I know what you mean, okay? And even if I didn’t, I generally just assume that nothing you say means that you want to kiss me. So _breathe._ ” 

He obeys, a little sheepishly. “Sorry,” he mutters. “I’ve just-I’ve messed so much up lately, and I don’t-I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

She wants to promise that he won’t, but she knows better than to give him empty promises. “Trust me, we’ve all said things, Nick. It’s going to take a lot more than that for you to get rid of me.” 

The tension drains from his shoulders, and he gives her a tired haf-smile, nodding slowly. “Thanks.” He glances away, apparently caught up in thought. “Maybe it’s fate.”

“What is?” She asks, although she has a feeling she knows where this is going. 

“All of this. Adalind, Juliette… All of it. I took Adalind’s powers, she got them back, she turned into Juliette, Juliette turned into her, and now Adalind’s fine, but Juliette has these… Powers…” He shrugs. “Maybe all of this was meant to happen. Maybe I was just… Meant to lose her.”

“You haven’t lost her yet,” she protests, and it’s not just empty words. She desperately wants to believe that it’s true. 

If he hears her, he doesn’t acknowledge it. “Do you ever think about it? Fate?”

She forces herself to follow the new train of thought, rather than pushing insistently at the old one. “Sometimes, yeah.”

He considers this, before giving a half-smile. “You and Monroe,” he says quietly, and it’s not quite a question. 

“Me and Monroe,” she agrees gently. Then, meeting his eyes. “And me and you.”

It has the intended effect: he stops short, giving her a startled look. After a moment, the corners of his lips quirk up, and it’s a sad ghost of his normal teasing expression, but at least it’s something. “Should Monroe be worried?” He asks, and she’s relieved to hear the lightness behind his words. 

“Always,” she quips, before refocusing. “No, but I’m serious. I mean, I met you the _day_ Freddy died. That can’t be a coincidence, you know?”

His expression sobers a little at this, but he still seems confused; apparently she’s going to have to spell it out for him.

“The same day that I lost a brother… I found one.” 

He draws in a sharp breath, eyes widening, and he looks at her in startled awe. Then, he breaks. 

She doesn’t think it’s all about her words; this has been a long time coming, really, and it’s a wonder he’s held it together for as long as he has. But he shatters, tears streaming down his cheeks, broken sobs slipping from his lips. 

She sets her tea aside, barely catching his as well, before opening her arms, drawing him in. He buries his face in her shoulder, and she strokes his hair, murmuring quiet nonsense. Anything to calm him, to soothe the storm raging inside of him, to remind him that he isn’t alone. 

“I’ve got you,” she promises, fierce and sure. “I’ve got you.” 

(If she sheds a few tears of her own-for Juliette, for Nick, for this whole messed up situation-they come quietly, lost in his hair. No one needs to know.) 

Finally, his tears subside, but he makes no move to pull away. Absently, she wonders when he was last _held._ Making a mental note to drag him and Monroe into a group hug tomorrow, she shifts a little, getting more comfortable.

If he needs to stay like this for awhile, she’s in no hurry to pull away. 

She’s not sure how long they stay, motionless, before a yawn slips from her lips. It’s loud and sudden, and her cheeks heat. He pulls away, the moment effectively broken, and gives a weak chuckle. 

“Sorry,” she murmurs, but he waves her off.

“It’s fine. _Thank you._ ” He pauses, looking at her a little too carefully, and suspicion flickers in his gaze. “Wait a second. You weren’t having trouble sleeping, were you?”

“Nick,” she protests, “Of course I-” 

He raises a brow, expression a little too knowing, and she shifts gears. 

“Of course I was,” she finishes quietly. “Knowing you were down here, going through all of this alone?”

He shakes his head. “Why didn’t you just… Say something?”

Right. “Because you really, really stink at letting other people take care of you,” she says frankly, but she pats his arm, softening the impact. “But you’re really good at taking care of other people.” 

He looks somewhere between amused and offended, but finally settles on grateful, giving her a small but sincere smile. “Thank you, Rosalee. Truly. But now, you need to head back up to bed. Get some sleep, okay? I promise,” he adds, before she can protest, “I’ll try to get some down here, too.” 

She hesitates for a moment, before nodding slowly. “Fine. Let us know if you need anything.”

He doesn’t make her any promises, and she knows better than to ask for them. With a final hug-quick, just a single reassurance-she rises, making a mental note to grab the mugs in the morning. She really is exhausted, suddenly, and bed sounds like a really good idea.

Monroe is already awake when she slips back in. Judging by his expression, he has been for awhile. He gives her a tender smile, and her heart swells with affection for her husband. Not a hint of concern as he lifts up the covers, silently inviting her back in. “How is he?” He asks quietly, and she gives a weak laugh. 

“About what you’d expect.”

He winces, gathering her into his arms, and she settles comfortably against his chest. How did she ever manage without him? “That bad, huh? Were you able to help, at all?”

“I think so.” In the morning, she might tell him about some of it. Not the ins and outs of the conversation, of course-she respects Nick’s privacy too much for that-but at the very least, she might tell him what she said about Freddy. Right now, though… “I’m really tired.”

Chuckling, he presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Then sleep. We’ll deal with everything else in the morning.” The rest, he doesn’t say, but she knows that it’s implied: 

_Together._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! I haven't finished Season Six yet, so I'm trying to be careful treading into this fandom-I don't want to accidentally spoil myself-but I'd love to scream at some of you about Grimm. Misscrazyfangirl321 on Tumblr, if you want to come say hi!


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